Cerro Pelado1966

Though lesser known than Leni Riefenstahl’s OLYMPIA or Kon Ichikawa’s TOKYO OLYMPIAD, Santiago Alvarez’s tribute to Cuba’s sporting triumphs is no less breathtaking. A ship of athletes training on the rough seas becomes a symbol of Castro’s Cuba, the games projected on the backdrop of political struggle: “This is the story of a ship and of a sports delegation whom the ENEMY tried to stop from participating in the Tenth Central American and Caribbean Games.” Alvarez’s bristling montage may be put to didactic ends but there’s a significant remainder of joy in his celebration of work. Rhetoric is inseparable from rhythm as Alvarez remains ever attentive to the specific manifestations of the body politic.

Member Reviews (2)

If you like your somewhat quaint revolutionary-era Cuban propaganda featuring athletes doing calisthenics on a boat deck, backed by classic songs (¡El Manisero!) and bracketed by menacing shots of US military barbarism and police brutality, then this is the film for you. Not sure if it holds much interest for anyone who's not invested in that aspect of history, but for those of us who are, it's engaging.